Courtroom packed for hearing on accused teen killers

Daniel Tepfer

Updated 12:47 am, Wednesday, November 14, 2012

State Police and court security officers stand watch in front of the Main Street courthouse, in Bridgeport, Conn. Nov. 13th, 2012, where five young men charged with killing a city teen in October made an appearance.
Photo: Ned Gerard

BRIDGEPORT -- More than 70 people packed a Main Street courthouse Tuesday morning as five young men were brought in to face murder charges for the gang-related killing of a Harding High School student on mischief night.

Police cars ringed the block around the courthouse and State Police with dogs patrolled the halls.

Across the courtroom each was met with grim stares from the family of victim Justin Nwalozie. Some family members wore hooded sweatshirts bearing the photo of Nwalozie, 19, and the initials, "R.I.P."

Devlin set down probable cause hearing dates for each of the defendants: Dec. 10 for Brown, Dec. 11 for Humphrey, Dec. 12, Minor, Dec. 13 for Robinson and Dec. 14 for Williams. Each is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

At that time, unless the defendant agrees to waive the hearing, the prosecutor would have to present evidence to show there is probable cause to continue the murder prosecution.

Following the brief hearings, family of the defendants were quickly escorted by judicial marshals from the courtroom to the hall, where they were greeted by a half-dozen State Police officers with a dog. They quickly left the courthouse without comment.

On Oct. 30 Nwalozie, a student at Harding High School, was gunned down at the intersection of Hallett and Shelton streets. Police said Nwalozie was walking along the street with some friends shortly after 5 p.m. when shots rang out from a passing red sports utility vehicle with tinted windows. As Nwalozie lay dying in the street from a gunshot wound in the back he was urged by detectives to name his killer.

"It was a red Durango, there were two guns," he gasped before passing out. He later died at Bridgeport Hospital.

A short time later police pulled over the SUV on Central Avenue. Inside they found the five young defendants. Police said they also found two handguns.

Police know that at least two of the young men in the SUV were shooting at the victim but haven't identified them at this time.

It is expected as the case progresses each of the defendants will begin pointing fingers at the other in an effort to get a more positive disposition.